Construction along Eight Mile Road is on track

STOCKTON — The third prong of a city plan to build roads under and over railroad crossings is about to get under way, adding to the flurry of public construction projects to move people or water on or near Eight Mile Road.

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By The Record

recordnet.com

By The Record

Posted Jul. 11, 2011 at 11:55 AM

By The Record
Posted Jul. 11, 2011 at 11:55 AM

» Social News

STOCKTON — The third prong of a city plan to build roads under and over railroad crossings is about to get under way, adding to the flurry of public construction projects to move people or water on or near Eight Mile Road.

Construction has already begun for two overpasses along the road, one east of Davis Road and another to the west of Highway 99, which when completed will mean motorists won’t have to wait for trains to pass while using the important east-west thoroughfare. The third phase of the North Stockton grade separation project is set to begin construction around the start of August. This will close down a section of Lower Sacramento Road just south of Eight Mile Road.

Safety is the top reason for the projects to allow cars and trains to pass each other at different elevations, according to Stockton Public Works. “Any time you have vehicles competing with trains, it’s not a good thing,” said Eric Alvarez, engineering services manager. It also means emergency services won’t be delayed by passing trains. And it allows for freer movement of goods and people along Eight Mile Road, which is envisioned as an expressway in the city General Plan, Alvarez said.

Together, the three crossings are part of a $50 million project funded with state, local and railroad funds. The $22.7 million in local funds come from the Measure K half-cent sales tax and not from the city’s general fund. Most of the $24.8 million in state funds includes money from Proposition 1B, passed by state voters in 2006. The City Council awarded the project to Livermore’s RGW Construction last year. The whole project is expected to be completed by mid-2013.

Read Tuesday’s Record for more on this story by staff writer Zachary K. Johnson.